Northern Magnolia

Our New Floor

2011-04-30T15:05:00.012-04:00

When we moved into our new home, we had moved from a 1930's "filled with charm" house to a cookie cutter house.

For various reasons, two being more space and better layout, we bought this house. I have been working on this home from the get-go to give it some charm and an older home feel.

This summer alone plans include: creating new balustrades (5 of them), refinish the stairs, paint the existing staircase (w/ new balustrades) , makeover the powder room (new floor, sink, wall treatment), a new sitting area fora fire pit and adirondacks in the backyard, a swingset and a sand box.

And finally, a post about my installing our new floors. This post is long in coming. We ordered 12 inch wide southern yellow pine tongue and groove planks.

The existing floor was a mix of laminate, carpet and some old hardwood. We decided to floor the kitchen, living room, mudroom, foyer and dining room with the new hardwood. Here are some pictures of the process:

laying out the paper on the subfloor

dining room

finished kitchen floor (excuse the absent base moulding on the kitchen cabinets)

And here is a picture of the hallway leading into the living room this past February (with some valentine cuties) and the board and batten

I applied to some of the rooms (another post all together).

This process took about three to four days including two applications of a clear coat.

We love the look and feel it gives to our home.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:41:00.008-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

The big girls drew the line this year and it was WIDE. They no longer wanted to dress like the "babies". This sad mama asked if she could still color coordinate...and they said..yes! I am so lucky=:)

The "Babies".

I made a pineapple bake today. As I was cutting through the loaf, I think I noticed a bunny shape in the bread. Do you see a bunny shape?

We had several egg hunts!

And made our first annual bunny cake. This is actually the second one..truth be told the first one fell apart! I am hopeful that as our Easters progress this becomes a tradition for my girls.

We also saw real Easter eggs!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

The Night Before Easter...

2011-04-23T21:05:00.004-04:00

Twas the Night before Easter..

and as of 9pm..the minis are STILL awake!

Do you Dye Easter Eggs?

2011-04-20T10:30:00.009-04:00

I was at the doctors' office this past week and my appointment happened to fall the day after our family dyed our Easter eggs. Unfortunately, I came away from the experience a little scathed and the result was one green finger. (Don't ask..it just happened).

So upon the doctor spying my one green finger, I blurted out .."oh..we were dying our Easter eggs!" She looked at me a little taken aback, then said, "I am so glad to hear that. I didn't think anyone did that anymore." Really?

I guess with the ease of plastic eggs maybe this tradition has moved to the wayside.

This has been a favorite childhood memory of Easter time. Oh.. the magic of watching the colors take shape as you dipped and re-dipped the eggs. We have dyed eggs every year since the children were born.

As the children have gotten older we have moved onto making a bigger event. This year we had the cousins over for lunch and to dye the eggs. Even my 17 year old niece joined in the fun.

So the question is does your family dye eggs for Easter?

We were crazy for adding glitter to our eggs this year.

Everyone busy.

My little one had a thing for pink this year. She dyed all of her eggs pink.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Double Digits

2011-02-24T18:00:00.003-05:00

WoW. Did ten years really fly by THAT fast?

I am in shock and in awe that this little bundle pictured above is now ten years old. He came six weeks early, in the middle of a snow storm and after 48+ hours of labor. Happy Birthday, Little Man!

XOXO

Candyland Part II

2011-02-12T11:49:00.005-05:00

Our Father/ Daughter Dance was fabulous! (If I do say so myself *wink, wink*) Here is a few pictures of the finished decorations I had designed and created.

Princess Lolly

Queen Frostine

Up close of center pieces

Full view of center piece

Hallway

Gingerbread Plum Tree

Candy Garland

Lollipop Lane

Rainbow Trail with Gloppy (This was done by another mom but I wanted to add it for your viewing pleasure, hehe!)

Two of my best creations enjoying their evening with their dad, which is what it is all about!

Candyland

2011-01-22T17:19:00.005-05:00

My daughters' Father/Daughter dance is soon upon us. This year the theme is Candyland.

I am helping to run the decorating committee. I have come up with a sample of the centerpieces.

This is not exact... just something I had to put together for the visually impaired. The center is hollow so we can nestle something to hold balloons in place above the centerpiece.

More photos to come after the big night as I still have to create 10 centerpieces, a life size gingerbread house, Mr. Mint's peppermint forest and corral 5th graders to make several dozen lollipops and candies!!!

Wish me luck!!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T22:14:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2010-12-24T11:17:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Wordless Post

2010-12-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

Christmas Mantel

2010-12-15T09:17:00.005-05:00

So this is my completed mantel. At long last it is finished and decorated for the holidays. If you remember my post here about building this. It has been quite awhile. I wanted to link up with the Nester and her holiday house tour. I have more to share about this project and another huge undertaking in the new year!

Have a great day!

Little Ghosties

2010-11-04T14:16:00.004-04:00

My computer has been on the fritz so I am posting these late.

These are the Halloween decorations I decided to make for the front of our house. I got the inspiration from Family Fun Magazine. The little minis loved them. The older minis wanted something more frightening but I don't think we are there yet. I do not want my little ones to be scared of Halloween and we have plenty of time to be scary. Maybe next year....

Does the Great Pumpkin Come to Visit Your House?

2010-10-31T21:01:00.003-04:00

We have a Halloween tradition at our house where our children get to pick out 10 -15 pieces of their halloween loot to save and we put the rest in a big bowl to be placed out the back door. Overnight the Great Pumpkin comes and replaces the candy with a small toy, gift card or money.

What does the Great Pumpkin do with said candy? Well, the chocolate pieces are hidden away until the holiday baking (m+m cookies, etc.) begins and the hard candy-ish pieces are stored to give out as treats almost all year long.

We started this tradition when my older minis were babies and now they are almost in the double digits (cannot believe that) and so far we have been quite successful. I only hope it lasts as we continue into the tween years!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T15:19:00.002-04:00

OBX 2010

2010-09-28T13:45:00.007-04:00

Just back from a wonderful extended family vacation! Had a fabulous time.

Have a great day!

emb

SIGNS

2010-09-27T14:54:00.009-04:00

I love the movie Signs from M. Night Shyamalan.

Right now I am down right OBSESSED.

It is just the right amount of scary and humor. I am biased because the movie was filmed in my home county

and parts of the town filmed are VERY close to my home.

The scenery really is as beautiful as it seems.

I really am lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

Have a great day!

emb

Pottery Barn is Now Selling Rocks.

2010-09-24T13:02:00.002-04:00

I love Pottery Barn. Let us make no mistake about this. LOVE. Pottery. Barn. However, when I saw these a few weeks ago and I was conflicted. These are a polyresin construction and you can get four for $16.

Now my DIYer mind has these as free for myself because I already own chalkboard paint and luckily some rocks. I am going to experiment and see if I can recreate the same look for less! Wish me luck!!

Fall Outfit...if it still wasn't 90 degrees!

2010-09-23T14:55:00.003-04:00

Find me on Polyvore

It's Back!

2010-09-22T14:07:00.009-04:00

My favorite drink for the Autumn season...

Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate

from Starbucks!!!

I love it with a shot (or two) of espresso.

Delicious!

Have a great day!

EMB

Happy First Day of FALL!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-22T10:22:00.005-04:00

I took an unintended break from posting (not reading blogs). Our summer was so busy!!! BUT......

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!!!

I am so excited.... I love the fall!

Today I made these
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/08/caramel-apple-sticky-buns/

for the family as an autumnal treat...Oh my goodness!

Love the Pioneer Woman.

Have a great day!!!

EMB

I Heart Fabulous Beekman Boys

2010-06-16T23:45:00.004-04:00

Just watched The Fabuolus Beekman Boys. I loved it. We try to do all organic so were are pro small farmers. This show is a gem and the men are too funny. Planet Green on Wednesday nights!

WoW! Murfee Scarf Giveaway @ Biscuits!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-15T23:41:00.003-04:00

Biscuits Are Never Boring is so graciously hosting a fabulous giveaway for a Lilly Pulitzer Murfee Scarf. I was not able to attend the sale *sigh =:(

BUT.........

5 Bickies did go to sale and kept her fellow bloggers in mind! She snagged some scarves and has one to give away!

Please visit 5 Bickies here and leave her a wonderful comment for chance to win, follow her for another chance, and post about the great giveaway for a third chance!!

"Paparazzi" MUST WATCH, if it is the only thing you do today!

2010-05-12T20:51:00.003-04:00

This is Greyson Michael Chance singing at his school's spring concert. Yes, I have jumped onto the internet bandwagon of watching him on youtube. He has recieved over 1 million hits since he posted just last week. He is amazing and the young girls reaction to him are too funny.

Many are calling him the next Justin Beiber. We shall see. He is extremely talented for his young age.

And as a the typical mother I am,

I started worrying and hoping that the industry would not destroy this innocent raw talent that has very far to go yet has just started his journey.

Greyson was asked to perform on the Ellen DeGeneres show today!!

Let's hope his parents have a head on their shoulders.

Have a great day!

Kitchen Backsplash; Our Love Affair with Subway Tile

2010-05-11T22:38:00.017-04:00

This picture was in a previous post of mine.

It is our completed subway tile backsplash.

What I did not show you is the before/during pictures. Before I do, I have to say how I love subway tile. Our old home also had white subway tile per our renovation of the kitchen.

We knew when we purchased this house that our kitchen would also don this backsplash!

A new twist, however, was the inspiration I recieved from Melissa (The Inspired Room) and pictures she posted of her old kitchen. I was struck by how Melissa had subway tile the full length of her wall. I always thought the backsplash ended where the cabinets ended!

So my husband removed the old builder's grade beige 4x4 tile. (sorry no picture yet of that!) And the walls looked horrible!! At this point I am sure a contractor would have explained to me that the drywall would have to be either replaced or repaired.

(Please excuse the awful countertop. We WILL be replacing that as well as getting a new sink/faucet.)

I felt the walls were fine.

And in the fashion of the Nester with her window mistreatments, I went ahead and produced this:

The grout is now finished. This was a PROJECT and took about four days. We spent $150 dollars on materals except for the tile. Why you ask?

Are you ready for this?

I paid $15 dollars for all the tile shown for the entire backsplash and walls! I will let you in on my little secret in another post!

But for now, we are very happy with our new backsplash!!!

Have a great day!

Fabulous Mother's Day Giveaway!!!

2010-05-05T18:45:00.003-04:00

Check out all the fabulous goodies (25 items) that one lucky mom will win this Mother's Day! Visit this site for entry details:

http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2010/05/05/the-fabulous-fun-mothers-day-giveaway-scottsdale-photographer/

Have a great day!

em

Today! The Kentucky Oaks- Race for the Lilies!

2010-04-30T08:11:00.008-04:00

The Kentucky Oaks is a 136 year old horse racing event that features three year old Fillies.

Like it's big brother, the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks owns a namesake race, a signature flower and a special cocktail.

The Oaks has recently adopted a signature color as well-PINK (in honor of their signature flower and breast cancer awareness). The Oaks has joined with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Horses and Hope.

Kentucky Oaks: Race 11, 5:45 p.m. EDT post time

The Oaks Lily:

1oz. Vodka

1oz. Sweet and Sour Mix

3oz. Cranberry Juice

Splash of Triple Sec

Mix ingredients, place the pinkish cocktail in a stemless wineglass with crushed ice and garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry!

Have a great day!!!!!!!

Video: The most beautiful seatbelt advocacy commercial ever? — Autoblog

2010-04-19T13:01:00.002-04:00

Video: The most beautiful seatbelt advocacy commercial ever? — Autoblog

Seriously. Must watch!!!!

NEST COOKIES

2010-04-18T14:43:00.010-04:00

I better post this before spring is actually over!! Hehe!

I made these cookies for the preschool minis' Easter party. I think you could use this idea for any Spring themed party as well.

First, make or buy some sugar cookies. I think any size would do depending on the size eggs you find.

I laid them out on my trays.

Then in a large freezer size plastic bag empty a bag of shredded coconut. I used the unsweetened kind because you will add hot cocoa (like the SwissMiss kind) to the bag until the mixture looks like this:

You can start off with a small amount of cocoa and gradually add more as you see fit. I placed some of the cocoa mixture in a bowl as well as my chocolate eggs. (I used Cadbury for this).

Next, I frosted each sugar cookie with chocolate frosting:

And took a large pinch of the coconut mix and placed it on the cookie. I took the eggs and nestled them right in the middle.

I did have to add a tiny bit of frosting to some of the eggs to help make them stick.

Now, I left them on their trays so I could transport them to school. But I think one could easily set up a nice display with some cake plates or colored "Easter" grass.

They were delicious.

HAPPY EASTER!

2010-04-04T13:41:00.013-04:00

Here's

Wishing

Everyone

Happy

and

Joyful

Easter!!!

XOX

EMB

A Basket of Inspiration

2010-03-17T15:58:00.003-04:00

As some of you may have seen, the picture to the right is the same one I used last year for my Spring picture. I have been obsessed with this image from Martha Stewart for over a year.

I have searched and waited until I could replicate it somehow. Alas, this beautiful basket is a very hard shape to find and the bunny shape did not come out until this year at A.C.Moore.

But I have pulled together my version of this amazing image.

I can not stop looking at it and my heart is happy!

Have a great day!

emb

From my clans to yours..Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2010-03-17T08:31:00.006-04:00

I am almost 100 % Irish. My family comes from the three follow clans:

Moore Coat of Arms:

McCloskey Coat of Arms:

King Coat of Arms:

I have been said to have the map of Ireland on my face! Many of my extended family live in Ireland. I only have met them when they are visiting the states. It is a dream of mine to visit the place where my grandparents called homeland. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

**Thanks for the idea and Happy St. Patrick's Day to QBS!

Current Loves.

2010-03-12T11:24:00.006-05:00

I love my new bag and wallet. I think it is a cute pairing. The bag is faux crocodile oilcloth with a brown lining that I actually got from Hallmark. It is super soft. I paired it with this super cute brown giraffe print wallet from Target. I love cute looks for less$$!

Looky! Looky! A $15 Chandelier Makeover!

2010-03-12T10:51:00.006-05:00

I stumbled across this pitiful chandelier at a local thrift store. Upon closer inspection, I realized it had great bones but noticed some electrical components would have to be replaced.

With a $5 price tag, I thought I'd take it home. I needed a mental break from finishing my mantel project so yesterday I took some time to work on this chandelier.

First, I needed to test the wiring and once that was sound,I could replace what needed replacing. Luckily the wiring was fine and I ended up replacing all five keyless sockets (you know the part where you stick the lightbulb!)

I used Krylon gloss in Smoke Gray with Valspar hi-gloss in Aluminum.

Luckily, I had inherited a glass chandelier from my husband's grandmother (which unfortunately met is untimely demise this summer due to five little sets of curious hands) that I had salvaged the crystals from.

Here is the result ( this picture is taken hanging in my kitchen).

This chandelier will find it's new home in our master bath after it recieves new covers for the candle base and wiring(maybe some shades).

All together I spent $5 on the chandelier and around $10 for the keyless sockets and paint. I am extremely happy with the result and will enjoy this pretty bauble when I soak in the tub!

Thomas the Tank Diaper Cake..of course!

2010-03-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

I love Saucy over at Saucy Sprinkles (formerly known as bloggedy, blog, blog). When I found out my friend was having twins I had to give Saucy's diaper cake a try. I followed her tutorial here.

My friend had two little boys which makes her a mom to four boys under the age of five (Go Big Families!) I used a Thomas theme and it was fairly easy to do. I love how it turned out! I hope my friend loves it too!

Another Sneak Peek Kitchen Cabinets

2010-03-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a sneak peek on our kitchen cabinets! I wanted to join in on The Nester's linky day.

I added three different mouldings to the sofffit and painted it.....with chalkboard paint!

Honestly, I did start out with a semi gloss enamel, but it really was too shiny with our recessed lights. I still have to add undercabinet lightening, knobs, as well as moulding to the bottom of the cabinet but that has to wait until after the white subway tile is installed as the backsplash.

I will post the whole kitchen transformation when it is complete with before/ after pictures!

I love chalkboard paint!!!!

A Birthday for A Great Cat!

2010-03-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

"Today you are YOU, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!" Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

Sneak Peek

2010-03-01T19:33:00.001-05:00

This is the project, I have been a slave to for the last month or so. It is still not complete as I have to finish priming, painting and caulking the piece as well as the two bookcases on either side( that will be another post as well as a before/ during pics.)

For now, imagine a small area of brick with a fireplace opening.

In other areas of the house, I have been obsessed with dark stairs fashioning a neutral jute runner. I have started to paint our staircase as well , promising again more pictures!

I have finished painting my kitchen cabinets black (thanks to The Nester's sister and Tory Spelling's old kitchen for inspiration)! We are shopping for a countertop so as soon we have a more complete project I will post about that soon.

We have been in our home alittle over a year and it has been nothing but projects, projects, projects around here!

Have a great day!

EMB

Overwhelmed

2010-02-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Today, I am feeling overwhelmed. I am working on a project that has taken along time. I won't write what the project is because I do intend to give full disclosure when the project is done. This project however is about to suck the life out of me. I usually like projects but I guess I underestimated how long this project would take as well as leaving my livingroom in disarray. Throw in a couple of children..(5) and delays are imminent.

It is time for overtime and to finish this beast once and for all! Wish me luck!

2010-02-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

We are ready for Valentine's Day!! We made our snowperson (hehe) before the blizzard that is supposed to come. I hope it makes it through the winds and the foot or so of snow we are supposed to get. We are busy out in the snow making a sledding hill. The kids had alot of fun. Now for some hot chocolate and cuddling!

EMB

The Holidays Part One

2010-01-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

I have to catch up with my posts so bear with me. Starting with Thanksgiving it has been a non stop landslide here. I am finally able to take a moment and focus.
Our Thanksgiving was fantastic. We had relatives come up from Hilton Head, my SIL and her great family. FYI She is also a true preppy and has fabulous taste. We went to visit them last Easter. My children were ecstatic to have their cousins here for the holiday.

As promised, here is a pic of our dining room table scape. We had 10 people to seat as the children were at another table so I kept the decor small so as to fit everything.

I.LOVE.MY.TABLECLOTH.

Is that awful to love a material object so much? I think I love the promise it holds.

I have been looking for something like this and I am so happy to have found it. The reason being is that I came from a family with not many traditions and I long to create these for my family. I have purchased this tablecloth (and my turkey plates) so that we will start a new tradition for Thanksgiving.

I know..I know..tradition is alot more than things but if you are starting a tradition there is no harm in making it beautiful as well..no?

So I finally started my turkey plate collection. I have wanted to do this for years. But for some reason or another (LIFE) I didn't until this year. The idea came to me again this year when I visited Homegoods (Who doesn't love this store?) and saw the great plates. So I bought enough to get my family started and will try to include another piece or two each year. I would love for one day to have my children remember and be influenced by how beautiful our holidays are. To have them look forward to setting the table each year with our Thanksgiving cloth and plates and come together as a family in thanks. Is this silly?

Anyhoo.. I was very excited to see all the children play tag football in the backyard. They are all finally old enought to play together this way. It was nowhere near organized but they thought it was football and they were having fun! I hope to set up some sort of Turkey Bowl that I read about in some of our great posts. I'd love to set up a parents vs. children tag game as an annual event. Here are some action shots of the big game:

We had a wonderful meal that my husband cooked! I know.. I told you he was Mr. Fantastic! He loooves to cook. Unfortunately, he works late at night so our family benefits from this love on the weekends and holidays when he has the time. And I must say he does put in alot of time and thought into his meal preparation. Here is an example of our feast:

We rounded out the weekend taking all the kids to a movie one day and Sesame Place's Holiday Events (for the younger ones) another day. Everyone had a great time. This one will go down in the books!

More to come!

EMB

2010-01-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

I can not believe it has been tweny years since I have been to Paris. I swore to return sooner yet life ..well..happens. I was 18 and in my senior year of school. My bestie and I travelled with an exchange program and we stayed for almost two weeks. We did celebrate the dawn of 1990 in Paris.

It was amazing. And for as long ago as this trip was..I remember it like it was yesterday. Some things never leave you. I owe this trip to my love of avocados, creme fraise, champagne, (of, course!) brie cheese, chocolate croissants, and everything Paris!

So I know I am abit late but Happy New Year to all of you. May 2010 bring you much peace, happiness and love!

EMB

Oh..the weather outside is frightful...

2009-12-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Here is our Christmas House! We are bunkered down waiting to see how much snow we are to get tonight. Rumor has it about 20 inches. Which will be very nice seeing as we have not had a white Christmas where we are for years. Of course, the children are excited and after about an hour of getting them ready to go out in the snow..they lasted all of 15 minutes! Ha!

I am getting my posts ready to catch up! They include fabulous dinners, wonderful company, a few trees, decorations, and of course children! I am preparing to sit back and catch up on The Nester's Holiday House Tour and have some Bailey's whilst under the covers!

Have a great night,

EMB

What!? Where has the time gone?

2009-12-09T20:12:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has almost been a month since I last posted. I have continued to be c.RA.zy busy! I had hoped to follow up on my last post quickly but my camera has been on the fritz. Some pictures were lost and ultimately said camera died resulting in the new purchase. I still have yet to figure this new prize out so I will be posting soon.

I am however halfway decorated for Christmas. Yikes! Our house still has some projects going so I am finding it hard to draw the line between which ones to continue and which ones to decorate around. Last year we only had six days to decorate before Christmas because we moved. I am spending some time going through our decorations, organizing, tossing, and donating. It is amazing how much this stuff accumulates! I do have purging inspiration, though. Actually it is like a fire under my a*%! The fire is my new obsession called Hoarders on A&E. Holy Krikes! I can not believe how some of these people live! I ,of course, am now on a ranging decluttering streak.

I am not a hoarder..nor does my house look like ANYTHING on this show but I definitely feel the need to get rid of EVERYTHING that is somewhat questionable in my home. For example, I was a teacher. I also taught theatre arts. I have to some degree been taught to save everything.... in case you need it. I have saved all my teaching materials for almost ten years in case I go back to teaching. Now, everything is tucked neatly into boxes, et al. but it is alot of boxes in my basement that have a 50/50 chance of me using again.

Have any of you career women turned stay at home moms had this problem? Or is it just me?

For now, I will leave you with a picture of mantel last year. Thanks to The Nester's tutorial I will never look at garland the same way again. This year our mantel is under construction, I am sure I could pull this off again and hide everything. We shall see!

Have a great day!

EMB

Crazy Week

2009-11-16T13:27:00.001-05:00

This week is an exciting week for me! First off...some Preppy bloggers are getting together Wednesday night to celebrate...THE LILLY PULITZER WAREHOUSE SALE! If you want to meet up, please contact Kappa Prep and she will forward you the details. I am so excited to meet everyone and to shop the sale!

Second, Twilight's New Moon comes out this weekend! I cannot decide if I should go at midnight on Thursday or a Friday Matinee. I will let you know.

Third, Project Runway's season finale this Thursday night. I am rooting for Carol Hannah. I think her dresses are great and I cannot wait to see her collection.

This week I will be baking for the children's school Christmas Bazaar bake sale. I will be trying some of Saucy's Sprinkles recipes like the mini candy cane hearts and Hopsy's cake balls as well as making chocolate covered pretzels! Again, I will let you know how it all turns out! We are new to this school and I am not sure of the workings of this event. I am the Home and School's Social Committee Chairperson but this event is not related. I am still figuring out where I want to be while helping out where help is needed.

And ..getting ready for Thanksgiving! I am so excited this year I found this platter at Home Goods

with some matching plates. I have always wanted turkey plates for Thanksgiving. My china is white with a silver edge and I wanted brown turkey plates so I could add in any color (or change colors) each year.

I also have a gorgeous tablecloth. If the day does not get too crazy I will take some pictures and post the tablescape. We are having everyone over and the holiday weekend is jam packed!

Lastly, we are finished installing our hardwood floors! My husband and I set out over a month ago to install hardwood floors in our foyer, dining room, mudroom, kitchen and family room. My husband was a big help =;) We chose Southern Yellow Pine in a 12" width. As of yesterday, the third coat of sealant was applied. I would like a darker look but we decided to wait until the spring to do any more coats. This is NOT our home...our home is in alittle disarray because of sealing the floor this weekend BUT this is exactly like our floors!

I will post before and after pics when our house gets itself together! (Hopefully by next week!)
Have a great day!

EMB

2009-11-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

"Thanksgiving is a good thing. ThanksLIVING is even better."

-Great quote I recieved from a great friend!

2009-10-31T19:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Our Pumpkin Toparies!

Our Little Wagon and the Gang!

Trick or Treat!

What I Have Been Up To......

2009-10-20T09:43:00.000-04:00

It has been quite busy here. I am trying to finish up some projects that have taken way to long to start. Melissa at The Inspired Room is having a Procrastinator Party today so I decided to link up for the first time and join! Here is what I have been up to....

Before:

An awful laundry closet. We had to turn the dryer sideways to open the door!!! And this was across from the pantry *which is under construction =;)* so this area was impossible to manuever.

After: A spacious mudroom. I still need to craft a bench cushion and add more baskets but overall I am very happy!

We had the washer and dryer relocated in the house so I could repurpose this room as a mudroom. It took a weekend to construct and another weekend to caulk and paint overall not too long. With fve kids and tons of coats, etc..we needed the space!

Here is a sneak peek at what I am currently working on:

More to come!

More Seasonal Fun

2009-10-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

The little girls and I went on their class trip today. The weather started out abit wet but soon the sun came out. We had a great time. The farm we visited is very charming. They have a little tour of the farm as well as some educational lessons for the kids. The girls learned about growing fruits and vegetables and then got to each pick their own apple and pumpkin. I got to see a friend and fellow blogger Clear Pink. I had a great time catching up with her. We wrapped up our trip with a visit to the farm store where we proceeded to stock up on candy corn, candy pumpkins and apple cider. We were also lucky enough to snap up some of the last apple cider doughnuts! Have a great weekend!

Number Five Turns Two

2009-09-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Baby S's two year old birthday. I can't believe how fast my youngest is growing.

It seemed like yesterday she entered the world like this:

And this weekend:

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

Getting in the Halloween Mood

2009-09-29T21:18:00.000-04:00

Check out this cute movie maker from Oriental Trading!

http://www.monstermashup.com/dbda47

My kids had a blast!

It Is Fall.

2009-09-23T08:47:00.001-04:00

That is all.

First Day of School: Round Three

2009-09-09T18:28:00.000-04:00

Enough said.

First Day of School: Round Two

2009-09-09T14:03:00.000-04:00

The little girls started preschool today. Sweet K. is in the pre-K 4 and Scooter is in the 3's. Everything went well. Except that Scooter is adjusting and is alittle anxious today. Which means she spent the whole half hour we were in the food store (picking out treats for her class), screaming for God knows what reason. I don't like to be the parent to bring screaming children anywhere but I honestly did not see this coming. I have a list of things to do and I'm sorry if I "ruined" any other shoppers of their "quiet" grocery store trip, but I have to get these things done. C'est la vie!

First Day of School: Round One

2009-09-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

We have just sent the older children off for the first day! It is bittersweet. I love the summers with them yet I love the break that comes with back to school. They needed their routine back and the mental stimulation school brings. I will (do) miss them. Now I am getting ready for the little girls to go for their first day of preschool. Then it is off to bring treats to all of the teachers to kick off a great school year!

BTW, I did send in a cute teacher survey created by Henley on the Horn. We tweaked it a little but I love the idea and hope to get information from the teachers. It is very helpful for teacher gift giving.

Have a great day!

Summer Recap or The Posts That Were Meant To Be....

2009-08-24T15:44:00.001-04:00

I am a horrible blogger. It is true that I check in everyday to visit everyone else but I am terrible at writing. It seems that once I get my daily bit of sanity from all your blogs...time runs out...I am back on call.... five children beckon. So I am taking some time to catch you all up through a picture recap. I hope you all had a wonderful summer and an easy transition for back to school!

Trip to the Aquarium

The County FairA Pink Flamingo Birthday PartyPatriotic HolidaysField Trip to Princeton Children's LibrarySistersCupcake Sale for Charity (Go Cancer Sucks!)VacationSpending Time with the Cousins

Yes, we had a very busy summer. We are settling into our house yet we are still under a bit of construction. (New floors and countertops get installed in a few weeks). I am documenting our journey and hope to post all of the before and afters. School starts for us in two weeks. The older two and the middle two all start the same day! Little one stays home for yet another year!

Now, I have to go...the little ones are playing {sledding} on the mulch we just had delivered....did I say we had two weeks until school ?

2009-05-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all who protect and serve our country! Have a safe and great day!

An "Almost" End of an Era.....

2009-04-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

Today, as we were busy cleaning around the house, I came across our changing table. We purchased this table from Pottery Barn Kids more than 8 years ago. I remember the day we purchased our little man's nursery set and how excited I was on delivery day. Time really has gone by so quickly. Our oldest has just turned 8 and our youngest is 18 months. We have used this table for all of our children, more so than the cribs. Because the children are so close in age, we have had more than one crib set up at any given time! But the baby has been sharing a room since we have moved and we have not had room for the table.

Today, I moved our table into the garage to convert into a gardening station. I can not believe it will never hold another baby. And this is bitter sweet. We are potty training our fourth and I can see the end of diapers in the near future. Believe me, I am more than ready not to change another diaper yet it is a another reminder that that they are growing up. And soon we will be a house without babies, which will be different for us.

I know, I know..an 18 month old is technically still a "baby". But with four older siblings, she is growing in leaps and bounds. When your "baby" tells you "no" to some kisses so that she can run with the others, it really sinks in how fast time slips by.

For now, I will look to the future and hold on to the past. And relish in every moment that they are young.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-07T14:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone! Tomorrow starts my little ones spring break and we are headed to Hilton Head to visit with family.

With three boxes of dye, 36 eggs and some embellishments, we are done our eggs. We have strayed from our usual tradition of dyeing our eggs the night before Easter to dyeing the eggs the weekend before Easter. Since we would be away I decided to make the change and now we can bring our eggs with us so the Easter Bunny can hide them. I also wanted to make this change because I am a little tired of taking my children to church Easter Sunday dressed in their Easter best only to have their hands and arms dyed purplish brown from the night before festivities.

This year has also marked a change for us as the older children's eggs actually looked like Easter eggs. For the last several years, my minis have taken great joy in sticking all of their eggs in every color on the table resulting in said purplish-brown eggs. Now they are very interested in keeping their eggs one color, etc. We finally have bright Easter eggs.

My fourth little one is still grasping the egg concept. She dyed the eggs well for being two and half years old. As soon as she retrieved the egg from the cup, however, she saw it fit to peel the shell off of ever single one of her eggs. She was addicted. Then as I was cleaning up she started to carry around this little Easter tin as a suitcase. Too cute. Fast forward to bedtime when she requests me to remove her Easter eggs from the tin. I opened the tin to remove two very brown de-shelled eggs. Oh..she is a bugger. Thank goodness she asked! I certainly did not want to find this little treasure after we returned from our trip. Yikes!

Lilly Pulitzer Basket Giveaway!

2009-03-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

My friend, Cancer Sucks, is hosting her first giveaway! Please visit her, here, and enter for a chance to win a super cute new Lilly Pulitzer basket. She introduced me to the blogging world and I am forever grateful to her. My daily reads help keep me sane with five little ones in the house. I have met wonderful and inspiring women in the blog world. Thank you Cancer Sucks..you are wonderful and amazing! Please go visit her before March 13 and enter! Good Luck!

Homemade Electrolyte Solution

2009-03-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

We have been hit by the stomache bug. All of the children have had the usual symptoms. And it worries me when I can't get them to drink..ANYTHING. They do not drink Pedialyte or gatorade, etc. So some years ago I stumbled upon this homemade recipe for an electrolyte solution that I have used. It tastes like salty water but not too salty. I give them this alittle at a time and it seems to really help with the stomache bug symptoms.

5 cups of water boiled
8 level tsp sugar
1 level tsp salt

Stir together until sugar/salt is dissolved. Wait until cooled to serve.

It is really simple and I think there are other ways to make this.... I am just relaying what my family uses in hopes to help anyone else that may be in the same situation.

In like a lion....

2009-03-01T09:51:00.000-05:00

I am so ready for spring as I watch snow falling outside. We are expected to get more snow today. I hope this is winter's last hooray. I am so ready for spring.

First Valentine's Day Party

2009-02-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

It seems like the time has gone by so fast..but to her ....it must have crept by. She is so excited to have her own school Valentine's Day party. Now she has a bag full of Valentine's wishes and treats and she feels like she is one of the "big kids" now.

First Born

2009-02-04T13:59:00.000-05:00

Another tag from facebook:

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note-change answers to yours.This will be fun for all the pregnant ladies to read!Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was very excited and nervous.

4. IF TRYING-FOR HOW LONG? N/A

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Home Pregnancy test...I think six of
them!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My Husband!

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? I did..he didn't.. so we compromised and found out
every other.

9. DUE DATE? April 1, 2001

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? No.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Pizza with hot sauce and peanut butter and jelly sandwich with
chocolate milk.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? My extreme exhaustion.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 32 lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? It was a surprise.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? None, other then
delivering six weeks early.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? PA

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 40 hrs give or take. My water broke at three
in the morning early Friday and I did not give birth untill after 8pm on Saturday. I did
not go into labor naturally and being six weeks early, they had to induce me. (Twice
two 12 hr bouts of pitocin)

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband and the hospital crew.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes,after laboring for a day, they first
gave me nubain then as I got closer to Saturday night.. an epidural.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6lbs, 1oz

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? February 24, 2001

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 8 (in a few weeks)

28. WHAT WOULD YOU GO BACK AND CHANGE? I would have definitely forgone some of the
pain medication (nubain).

50 Things

2009-02-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

I wrote this on facebook so I am copying this for all of you: 50 Things about me.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes. My Aunt.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last night. Another aunt of mine was just
diagnosed with cancer.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Yes.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Reeses Peanut
12. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? Yes. Violet(dog), Miley(cat), Zach & Cody (2 parakeets)
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with Peanut
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Hair.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I take on too many projects at once.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? No one.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? Everyone.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans, black boots
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Minis playing in the living room.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Christmas trees.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO? My children.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I love her!(my cousin)
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? My son's baseball games.
27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde.
28. EYE COLOR? Green.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. I have perfect vision.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Homemade anything.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Other Boleyn Girl.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Green.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Reeses' peanut butter cup.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ?
38.LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ?
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Twilight Series... I just finished second in series.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Something from my husband's work.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I did not watch t.v. last night.
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? My children.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? France.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'm creative.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Phila, PA
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyone
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER? We met at my cousin's wedding while I was in college and then again at a family Christmas party.
49. IS THE CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? Half full.
50. IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH FIVE PEOPLE WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Barack Obama, Eckhart Toile, Martha Stewart,Josh Groban and my husband.

Insanely Cute!

2009-01-23T22:48:00.000-05:00

I am in love, again. This is one of Vera Bradley's new prints. It is called Hope Garden. I think this print is soooooooooo cute. I love every bag in this print. I fear for our bank account!

Overwhelmed

2009-01-15T12:48:00.001-05:00

Yes. That is me. Overwhelmed. I am still surrounded by boxes from the move. When we knew our settlement date was several days before Christmas, I decided to divide up our move. I knew getting in and getting ready for the holidays in a short period of time would be greatly inhibited if I had to deal with things like Easter decorations or out of season clothing. So I rented a moving pod to store all the "non-essentials" and I was free to move only the furniture, the holiday decorations, and our daily necessities. The pod arrived a few days ago and I feel like the boxes are never ending. Do we really have this much stuff. Before I moved I tried to purge and I did make several large trips to donate to charity. I am in the process of compiling another large trip , thanks to the new prospective I have in our new home. If it doesn't fit where we want to be in this new place, if we do not love it, or if we have not worn it in a year....it goes! Well, except for the all the girls clothes ...and maybe that box of toys that... AGH! Wish me luck!!

2008-12-26T21:09:00.000-05:00

I am here. Yes, we have moved. It was stressful. Well, it began with our first set of movers showing up and letting me know they underestimated the job and could.not.move.us. Panic. Then call new movers in yellow pages and ask if they REALLY mean same day moving. Solve mover problem only to find out that our mortgage broker missed a deadline for document release! This equals spending two days bunked up with my husband's family and settling a day later.

Alas, we had a tremendous Christmas and we are very blessed. Everyone is settling nicely into our new home and adjusting to a new routine. Today, I finished painting the babies' "mermaid" room blue. Tomorrow I will get their room back together and hope to take my oldest daughter to pick out her paint color for her new room. I haven't located my USB cable to down load our holiday pics but promise to do so soon. I was able to decorate some for the holidays as well as try out a new garland idea from the Nesting Place. I will never look at my holiday garland the same way.

Anyhoo, time to go soak in the tub.... I hope you all had and continue to have a great holiday!

New House, Broken Nose, Attempted Auto Theft all within 36 hours

2008-11-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

We found a house...yippee...my youngest baby broke her nose..boooo...and someone tried to steal our car..... What!

First, we finally found a house, got a great deal and our new settlement date is December 18th.

Yes, that would be seven days before Christmas.

It could have been worse, the other side wanted December 26.

Obviously, that was way out. So we decided to move the date up and we now have 29 days to move our household of seven, hold Thanksgiving for both sides of the family and get ready for Christmas.

Thankfully, I have been shopping for a while and I am 75% done for Christmas.

Sad to say, however, one of our favorite traditions has been to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving, We take the kids to a Christmas tree farm, spend the morning hunting, bring home the tree, have a big lunch in front of the fire and start decorating. We have been doing this for about a decade and we all look forward to it. I do believe it is one of my favorite days all year.

But chin up, we will have to wait until Dec. 18 to perform our altered version of bringing home the tree amidst movers, et al.

We found out yesterday about the house deal going through. So I decided to take the kids after school to show them our new house.

After we got back,I started to make dinner. Everyone was in the livingroom playing except the baby, who was in the kitchen with me. She is just learning how to walk and needless to say took a spill.

It was about 5:30pm. I did not see the fall, only was there for the aftermath. Which was minimal, some crying, some whining but then she wanted to walk around.

Done.

She ate dinner and went to bed with no change. There was no mark or swelling from her accident.

Fast forward to 9:30pm.

Babygirl wakes up fussy.

After several attempts to put her back to sleep, we finally bring her downstairs to tire her out.

When in the light of the livingroom, I notice that her face looks like she was in a street fight.

Both eyes swollen, the bridge of her nose is nonexistent and a bruise is forming over the whole mess.

I look at my husband and say.."OMG..I have to go to the ER"...husband says..."It doesn't look that bad"...but of course never tell a mother that and now panic has set in... I am worried about her eyes, vision, breathing, etc. all the while wondering is this from the fall she took earlier? Why didn't the swelling happen immediately?

So at 10:30 we are in the ER(with my Mom) and she gets x-rayed only to reveal that at one years of age with mostly cartilage making up her nose, she has broken the only bone at the bridge of her nose.

There is nothing we can do, we are told. Because she has so much growing to do, they won't know if her nose will grow in crooked until she gets older! WHAT!

Then, we are told they won't fix it until she is older. AGHHH!

Oh please send wishes that my babygirl heals and does not grow up with a SHREK nose!!

Arriving home from the ER at 1am, I put babygirl to bed and crawl in myself, mind racing from the events of the day and the monsterous to-do-list.

I finally settle in to a deep sleep only to be awoken to our car alarm going off in our driveway at 1:30am. We both jump out of bed and race to the window. We see nothing. We go downstairs and check the car.

The hood has been pryed ajar (setting off the alarm) and the interior alert system reads Attempted Theft. All of our house's exterior lights are on and I literally pulled in the driveway 30 minutes before! My heart was racing. I just could not believe it.

There is never a dull moment here. Which is usually good.

2008-11-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

We have sold our house! We are currently looking for a new home! Oh the stress! We are scheduled to close on January 5! It appears we will be moving over the holidays, but I promise the last things that will be packed are our holiday decorations! So I apologize for not being around lately and potentially until we find a new home. But I am reading, if not posting and I do think about all of you bloggers out there! Have a great weekend. I, again, will be house hunting. Sigh. Wish us luck!

A New Love

2008-10-04T22:14:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Fall Day + Starbucks New Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate = New love.

How did they come up with this? Who cares. Go and try it.
I tried it with a shot of espresso.
Yummy!

2008-09-19T13:37:00.000-04:00

Take the Quiz here!

2008-09-06T21:16:00.000-04:00

Your Preppy Name Is...

Judge Heisley Mead the Sixth

But most people know you as Missy

What's Your Preppy Name?

2008-09-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

Ah.. my two older kids are back in school. The house is much quieter (as quieter as it can get with a three year old, two year old and 11 month old at home!) But just these past few days have been different. I think the babies are much more relaxed. I can't put my finger on it.

Anyhoo, I am digging out my Fall decorations. However, I have two house showings tomorrow so I will have to wait to bring everything out. I love the Fall. I must have at least eight large rubbermaid containers to hold my decorations. I can't wait to see what the stores have this year.

We wanted to go to Keene, New Hampshire for the Pumpkin festival. Visit their site here: http://www.pumpkinfestival.com/ . The photo above is from their site. It seems like a great time. I think I read about it in Martha last Halloween. Alas, so did everyone else because all the hotels in a very large radius is completely booked for the weekend. So we are going to focus on next year!

I am also excited to have entered The Pink Clutch's Wicked Halloween Swap. I have a great partner and I can't wait to shop for goodies to send her!

Well, I am off to clean the house and get ready for tomorrow. Please send some "Sell Your House Wishes" my way!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-27T20:16:00.001-04:00

A Small Ode to Summer

2008-08-26T23:06:00.000-04:00

Ah.. summer is almost over. Labor day looms... and school starts next week. As I am anxiously waiting for the Fall, I am trying to live in the moment and relish these last few carefree days.

Here are few pictures from some of our adventures.

~family~

~canal musuem~

~crayola factory~

~birthday girl~

~swimming~

~parades~

~crawling~

~fair days~

~nesting~

~being silly~

~strawberry picking~

and

~moving~

Thanks for coming to visit me. Let's see what the Fall has in store for us.

A Little Love

2008-08-15T21:05:00.000-04:00

I have been very busy. We are not yet in school so I have been cramming in the day trips for the kids before school starts. So far we have been to the zoo 3X(this place is awesome..fodder for another post), the Crayola factory 1X, the county Grange Fair 1X, Giggleberry Fair 1X (another great place), numerous playgrounds, one trip to Ikea(with their Smaland(sp?) my kids think we actually went for them!. And this week we have the Franklin Institute, the zoo(again!) and Sesame Place. This weekend I have to locate and access our soccer equipment. We will have three players this fall and guess what? I have a feeling that everyone will need new stuff.

Mix in all the BTS shopping and the house showings..oh.. I suddenly feel tired.

Anyhoo.. this is a picture of my two year old loving on my soon-to-be one year old. Sweet-yes? Ahh- pictures can be deceiving. Actually the scenerio plays out like this:

2yo: Mom, I ug (hug) her.

Me: well, alright. (more than alittle worried)

2yo:(laying on top off almost 1yo)

1yo: AHHHHHHH (screaming and looking at me as if to say How could you?)

But it really is all love. Crazy kids!

A Chair for Everyone

2008-07-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

I went to Joann's fabric today and all of the cedar adirondack chairs were $29.99!

I love these chairs.

I wanted to create a similiar effect for my own backyard as in the image above. I ended leaving with seven chairs (enough for everyone), three ottomans, and two end tables.

So besides putting everything together (not looking forward to that) I have to decide on a color.

I do love the white yet I am afraid of upkeep. I do like the dark stain as in Potterybarn's Chesapeake Collection yet I don't know if the dark stain is crisp enough for me.

So if anyone checks in let me know what your thoughts are on color choices for these great chairs! Thanks!

2008-07-12T21:31:00.000-04:00

These are plums from our tree. They are almost ready.

Okay, in an attempt to post more about myself and my life I stole this from Cancer Sucks Even With Lilly Pulitzer On Your Side. So here goes:

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Four car seats and one booster. A portable potty...yes we are in training! Two strollers. Two beach umbrellas..some toys...and I'm sure a sippy cup or two.

2. When was the last time you threw up? Several weeks ago. Stomach flu.....awful.

3. What's your favorite curse word?

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? My brother, my cousin Gabrielle and my cousin Jennifer. (We were at a family picnic)

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Sleeping if you can believe it. Actually everyone was asleep which is extremely rare. We have been very busy.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Putting everyone to bed.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Sleeping.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? No.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? Here is your cookie (to husband) ..no not the toffee ones they are mine.

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Coffee.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Coke

13. What was the last thing you ate? Pizza.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Yes. I bought some t-shirts, capris, and a skirt.

15. When was the last time you ran? A few years ago.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? My son's baseball game.

18. Who is the last person you emailed? Second Stride. An equine rescue in Kentucky who are taking our thoroughbreds.

19. Ever go camping? Yes.

20. Do you have a tan? No..I'm a burn and peel kind of girl besides the skin cancer thing.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only if it's a fountain drink.

25. What did your last IM say? You looked beautiful (to niece about graduation).

26. Are you someone's best friend? Yes.

27. What are you doing tomorrow? Potentially church and out to breakfast. We shall see how it goes.

28. Where is your mom right now? Probably still at our family picnic.

29. Look to your left, what do you see? Living room.

30. What color is your watch? I don't own a watch.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ? Nicole Kidman

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? Everyday.

33. What is your birthstone? Pearl.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru.

35.How many kids do you want? If we knew for 100% sure we would have a boy.. we'd do it. But our record hasn't been great for a boy. My mom is actually one of nine with a boy first and 8 girls. I'm afraid it's genetic so at five... we are done.

36. Do you have a dog? Yes, a little black cockapoo named Violet.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mom.

38. Have you met anyone famous? Yes.

39. Any plans today? Family picnic.

40. How many states have you lived in? Just one, PA.

41. Ever go to college? All the way thru. Officially..M.Ed.

42. Where are you right now? Office.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? House on the market so getting it "show" ready when the realtors call.

44. Last song listened to? Somwthing from Dora the Explorer.

46. Are you allergic to anything?No.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Dansko Professionals.

48. Are you jealous of anyone? No.

50. Is anyone jealous of you? No..

51. What time is it? 10:07pm

52. Do any of your friends have children? Most of them, yes.

53. Do you eat healthy? I try to eat all organic with a few "treats" here and there.

54. What do you usually do during the day? Take care of the brood.

55. Do you hate anyone right now? No.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 38.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes, as a teenager.

60. How did you get one of your scars? chicken pox as a kid.

There you have it. I hope to post more often...its so hard to pull myself away from reading everyone else's blogs! Have a great night.

2008-06-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

So now that you have had an intro to the players in my life, I think I shall tell about my stumbling into the blogging world. A good friend of mine has a blog as well as a girlfriend of hers. After hearing how I should read their blogs...what can i say.. I found myself in alot of the women who are staying home to take care of their children, home and husbands! With five small children it has been difficult to navigate the playgroup circuit. Since I have had a small baby home for the past three years and throw in a nursing schedule...I have been somewhat shy on the social side. I relish in the daily blogs that I have found and continue to find each day. Since I have given up Starbucks (more on that later) for the time being , this has become the daily fix. I have for so long given up myself that I was becoming miserable and then when I would seek an indulgence just for me I would feel somewhat quilty. It is great to read how others are balancing motherhood. I love my children, now I have to learn to balance some me time too!

New to Blog World

2008-06-20T22:07:00.000-04:00

That's right. I am a blogging virgin ready to take the plunge. Here goes....

I am a stay at home mom to five fantastic little ones. Here they are:

This is my big boy. He just finished first grade. He loves all things Star Wars, Spiderman and Ben-10. He desperately wants a brother but after four tries...I think I am done. Sorry SweetBoy!

This is my oldest daughter. She has just finished Kindergarten but hopes to move onto high school very soon. She is a spitfire and has lived up to the stereotype about redheads!

This is my middle child. She is not yet in preschool. She is in a difficult spot.. not yet a "big"kid and not one of the "babies". She is the epitome of sweetness.

This is my fourth daughter. Not yet two and quite a handful, we are very busy with her. She is incredibly funny and always makes us laugh as she learns about the world. She is quite the daredevil and holds her own as the fourth.

And my eight month old babe, who is also sweet and funny. Currently learning to crawl...it won't be long until she is running with others.

And...

My Mr. Fantastic! I am truly thankful for this man and everything he does for our family. I love him to pieces.

Well...now posting was not so bad. I hope you don't mind my setting the stage so to speak. I hope to write more about my recovery from motherhood as I reclaim, rediscover and remake myself.

More to come.